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When continuous outcomes are measured using different scales: guide for meta-analysis and interpretation
Open accessAbstract
It is common to measure continuous outcomes using different scales (eg, quality of life, severity of anxiety or depression), therefore these outcomes need to be standardized before pooling in a meta-analysis. Common methods of standardization include using the standardized mean difference, the odds ratio derived from continuous data, the minimally important difference, and the ratio of means. Other ways of making data more meaningful to end users include transforming standardized effects back to original scales and transforming odds ratios to absolute effects using an assumed baseline risk. For these methods to be valid, the scales or instruments being combined across studies need to have assessed the same or a similar construct
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Metadata
- Authors
- Murad, M. H., Wang, Z., Chu, H., & Lin, L.
- Affiliations
- Mayo Clinic (US)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Florida State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Murad, Mohammad Hassan
- Venue
- BMJ
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2019-01-22
- Volume
- 364
- Pages
- k4817
- ISSN
- 1756-1833 (ISSN-L)
- 0959-8138
- PMC
- PMC6890471
- OpenAlex
- W2912626077
- Cited by
- 329
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 65 · 2025: 71 · 2024: 63 · 2023: 40 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 15.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.bmj.com/company/legal-information/terms-conditions/legal-information/tdm-licencepolicy (tdm)
- Locations
- BMJ (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (U01DK106786)
- U.S. National Library of Medicine (R21LM012744, R21LM012197)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Delphi Technique in Research
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
- Keywords
- scale standardization, continuous outcomes, meta-analysis, standardized mean difference, odds ratio, minimally important difference, ratio of means, baseline risk, quality of life, anxiety, depression
- MeSH terms
- Algorithms, Anxiety, Child, Data Interpretation, Statistical, Decision Making, Depression, Female, Humans, Parents, Quality of Life, Reference Standards, Severity of Illness Index, Meta-Analysis as Topic, Outcome Assessment, Health Care
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